


Pools, Trampolines, Trust

by dumby



Series: Toyotas and Trampolines [2]
Category: High School Musical (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Gay, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:27:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26138881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dumby/pseuds/dumby
Summary: Chad and Taylor had a rough patch - she's even changed her playlist. They're at Troy Bolton's pool party, and talking about their relationship is unavoidable - shame her playlist is reminding him of someone he'd much rather be with.The prequel to Cramped Toyotas and Confusing Feelings.
Relationships: Chad Danforth/Ryan Evans
Series: Toyotas and Trampolines [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1898080
Kudos: 105





	Pools, Trampolines, Trust

**Author's Note:**

> AU where America's drinking age is 18 like normal countries  
> Pretty sure they're 17 in this but whatever that's practically the drinking age here anyway.  
> I wrote this instead of my English essay  
> No actual gay shit BTW, just feelings.  
> Can't remember if Troy has a pool or even a backyard but the wiki is useless so fuck it kiddie pool.

Troy Bolton didn’t actually hold parties often, partly because he didn’t like spending the money on drinks, but mostly because he got invited to all the other ones. Chad by extension, got invited to quite a lot as well. But today, Troy was actually hosting. There were maybe twelve teenagers in the Bolton’s yard, all wearing swimwear. Troy and Gabriella were bouncing on his old trampoline, the one with the thick metal rim, no walls, and rusty springs - half of which had fallen out. At one of the thin ends he had placed an old inflatable pool, which he’d spent the last hour and a half filling. Zeke was talking to some of the senior basketball boys, carefully taking slugs of beer bottles pulled out of a cooler hidden behind the deck table.

Somebody had dragged a pair of old speakers, turned the bass up way too high, and left their playlist blasting from the speakers. It wasn’t bad - generic party music with a bit of Rap sprinkled in, probably one of the Wildcats. Chad was sitting on the other end of the porch, taking a break from the party. He’d wanted to get away from his usual crowd, maybe find some girls who had interests outside of cheer-leading or musical theatre. Not like Troy Bolton would invite the quiet girls to his party, but still. Chad caught Taylor in the corner of his eye, approaching the speakers. She unplugged them for a second, then started her own music- he hadn’t heard it before, which meant she’d changed it since the argument. They were stuck in a weird sort-of limbo after he’d said they should take some time to cool off. It’d been two weeks. She approached him, not bothering to sit on the stair next to him, instead walking down to the lawn and standing in front of him.

“Hey.” He said, breaking the silence. 

“Hey Chad.” She seemed relieved that he started. “Want a drink?”

“Sure.” He said, scratching the back of his neck. “Any.” 

Taylor smiled, her posture loosening. “I’ll be a while. Hope you don’t mind waiting.” 

“I don’t.” Chad realized the obvious reference they’d made. Taylor didn’t seem to like it, her smile fading a little. She nodded, and turned away. 

Chad leaned back, taking a deep breath. Resting his head on the hard planks wasn’t the most comfortable, and the sticks and nettles scattered across it would just end up buried in his hair, but he didn’t care. The speakers switched songs, to something he’d heard before- he got the same feelings from their first playlist, but this was new, he’d heard it- _at the mall._ He glanced at Taylor, standing among their friends, nowhere near the drinks cooler. _He might as well._ He closed his eyes, and drifted back to the day at the mall.

He was sitting on some bench or something, waiting for Troy to show up and buy him food and listen to him whinge about Taylor. Ryan was there alone, maybe waiting for someone like he was. Chad had been looking at him for weeks, confused. _He couldn’t figure what his problem was._ He didn’t mind Ryan flirting with guys around school, of course, _he wasn’t a dick,_ but he did. It was like when girls came up to him at lunch, obviously trying to usurp his girlfriend. The song had come on, Ryan had looked up, surprised. He grinned a little, then returned to tapping his foot. Chad was fascinated by him. He smiled and pulled out his phone, reading a text he’d received. His smile widened, and he chuckled a little bit. Chad heard it from across the hall- it lodged itself in his brain, and refused to leave, especially whenever he was trying to get to sleep. 

A gust of wind sent goosebumps up his bare chest. “Jesus.” He muttered to himself. He opened the sliding door to the Bolton’s living room, and sat on the couch, letting himself warm up. Hopefully Taylor would show up and get this talk over and done with before it got cold. There was a rolling noise. _Speak of the devil._ He smiled at her. She shook a bottle of beer in front of him, then crashed on the couch next to him, keeping an inch between them. Without a word, they took the caps off, and tapped them together. 

“Cheers.” They said, taking a swig in unison. 

The song on the speakers changed, the unidentifiable bass drifting through the glass door alongside the late afternoon sun. 

“Who first?” Taylor asked. 

Chad picked up his bottle cap, and placed it in his hand. “Logo or no logo?” He asked.

Taylor smiled, her cheeks rising slightly. “Logo.” He threw the cap, careful not to chuck his beer bottle with it, and caught it in the same hand. She held her hand out, and he placed it in her palm, tentatively touching her hand. The spark wasn’t there anymore, and they both felt it. 

“Alright.” She said, rolling her shoulders back. “I’ve taken two weeks. I don’t think it’s working anymore.” 

Chad nodded.

“Sorry if that was a bit cold.” She added, quietly.  
  


“No, no, no problem.” A smirk flashed across Chad’s face for half a second. “I got that feeling too.”

She waited for him to continue, then spoke. “Your turn.”

He looked at her, frowning a little. He returned to form and spoke. “It’s probably for the better, considering…” He couldn’t say it.

“Considering?” Taylor placed a hand on his arm, leaning further into his field of vision.

“Taylor I-” Chad was flushed, not crying, he didn’t cry, but it was hard to speak. His stomach was twisting into a tight not, the coarse rope tugging on his heart and lungs. 

“Taylor I think I’m-” 

“Taylor I think I like boys.” There. It was out in the open, and he couldn’t take it back, no matter that he wanted to more and more every second she didn’t say anything. She leaned back, and took a deep swig of her beer. 

“Jesus, say something!” He planted his beer on the table, and stared at her, frustrated. 

“Like what?” She asked, not raising her voice. “You just told me you like guys. Did you even like me?” 

“Well- yeah. But-” He trailed off. 

Her eyes perked, and her head fell to the side. “Oh.” 

“So what’s the problem here?” She continued. 

“I dunno, we don’t work?” He questioned, confused. 

“No, Chad, with you, and boys.” She deadpanned.

“Oh. I like boys.” He said. “But! I liked you, too. I wasn’t using you for- for anything like that.” 

“So you liked me, but now you like boys?” She said, glancing out the window. 

“No, I still like girls, I still like you, even if we’re not together now.” Chad watched Taylor remember that they weren’t together. 

“Have you considered that you… like both?” She asked. 

“No? Why would- Right.” Chad’s eyes widened, and Taylor struggled to keep a smile off her face. 

“You’re the only person I’ve told.” He said. 

“I worked that one out.” She smirked. “I won’t tell. Promise.” 

“Promise?” He said, finishing his beer. He picked hers up, and walked to the bin by the door. 

“Absolutely. You can trust me. On one condition.” She smirked. Chad seemed a little intimidated.

“One condition?” He asked, nervous. 

“Who is he?” She said, getting off the couch. 

Chad blushed furiously, a small smile reaching his face. “Ryan Evans.”

Taylor nearly fainted. “Jesus, Chad, you are fucked. Ryan?” She held her hands out in despair. “You’re gonna have a hell of a year.”

“I think it was the changing room after the baseball game.” He said, ignoring her exclamations. 

“Too much, Chad.” She laughed. “Come on, run straight to the pool with me?” She placed a hand on the door handle. 

“You’re on.” Chad readied to sprint. The door opened, and they flew out the living room.

“Move, bitches!” Taylor screamed. The small crowd parted for the two of them. Chad leapt over the waist-high plastic pool alongside Taylor, and crashed into the water. He pushed his head under, his skin shrieking at him. He opened his eyes, and looked at the blurry shape of Taylor, also looking at him. They flipped each other off. 

_Today was a good day. I can worry about Ryan later._


End file.
